mermaid.kayleigh

Casually picking crabs out of our hair @KaimanaOceanSafari 🦀🦀🦀 The price of being an ocean girly. #gotcrabs #ocean #diving #crabs #snorkeling #hawaii

One of my favorite parts about observing & interacting with whales is the babies! They are playful, curious, & innocent just like any other baby! This baby was very relaxed and mellow but began to get more curious with every pass so I started to roll & twirl and shortly after that the baby began to play as well! Mom was very relaxed & trusting, getting the rest she needs, while she allowed the baby to come up & down to play. She was probably happy to have someone to preoccupy the baby while she could sleep. I’m sure many mothers can relate! This baby was very gentle & aware of us but it’s not always like that. During this trip we had a crazy baby that had no awareness of personal space! Because they weigh thousands of pounds it can be dangerous, so you have to watch out for their body parts. A baby whale would likely not intend to hurt you but, just like a puppy, they are not yet fully in control of their bodies. Stay tuned for more on crazier baby whales! If you want to be on my email list to swim with whales, DM me your email address for trip announcements for 2025! Video by @camgrantphoto #humpbackwhales #babywhale #swimwithwhales #humpbackwhale #ocean #snorkeling

These mini shark hotels were the highlight of my diving trip with @Nautilus Liveaboards 🦈💙🦈💙🦈 Cant wait to go adventure with them again soon!! How cute are these white tip reef sharks!? #whitetipreefshark #savesharks #sharkcuddles #ocean #scubadiving #swimwithsharks

Sharks are not puppy dogs, they are wild animals & apex predators. Our goal isnt to make people want to cuddle a shark & eliminate their fear of them entirely, but for people to love them for what they are, ecologically important predators that are not out to get us. Sharks don’t naturally look at humans as prey but if we put ourselves in their territory we need to understand that we do take a risk with a wild animal. Most shark divers understand this & i hope sharing some of my more wild moments helps someone stay safe if they find themselves in this situation. People can have different ways of handling the situation if a shark starts snapping at them, but if i know if my hand is in a safe place ill keep it there until the shark loses interest. Behavior like this is way more rare & 99% of my footage is simply sharks swimming passed me. Video by me featuring @Danny Mako #tigershark #sharkdiver #sharkdiving #ocean #savesharks

Lost in time & space 🩶 video by @andriana_marine #tigershark #savesharks #sharkdiving #sharkdiver #ocean

When we spotted these melon headed whales I knew it was the perfect time to compare these two cameras! I prefer the color of the @DJI Osmo over the go pro as the go pro always shows a purple tint underwater. I’m not great at color correcting so I prefer footage that is ready to go right after being shot! Both of these shots are completely unedited & raw. I feel like you can especially see the true to life color of the Osmo Action 5 Pro at the shot of the trash at the end! It’s always important to do our part & pick up trash when we see it! 💙🌊  #DJIOsmoAction5Pro #ActionCamera #melonheadedwhales #blackfish #marinedebris #dolphins

So like when am I gonna run into an alien out here? 👽✌🏼 #aliensintheocean #thalassaphobia #ocean #deepsea #openocean

In honor of spooky season, I did a blackwater dive with Jacks Diving Locker & Simone Matucci searching for aliens in the deep, dark, open ocean! You never know what will come along on a dive like this! We actually even heard dolphins super loud but they stayed about 50ft away just out of my view! Its crazy to hear wildlife before youre able to see it! What was your favorite part of this video? I would say mine is probably the squid because they are just so strange & interesting!! Would you ever do this? 😳🔦👽 #nightdive #blackwaterdiving #scubadiving #ocean #oceancreatures

They know who their mommy’s are 👯‍♀️ @andriana_marine #tigershark #sharkdiving #sharkdiver #savesharks #swimwithsharks

A dive with 9 tiger sharks! 😮 Seeing shark numbers like this is quite rare unfortunately, but actually a sign of a healthy oceans ecosystem! Sharks at the top of the food chain help keep the lower trophic levels in balance & in check so more sharks means more fish & more balance in the ecosystem! They are still top predators though so interacting with them should be done with extreme cautioun & by those with a lot of experience! If this was a tour, the guests would be holding onto a line while the guides work to keep the sharks lower in the water column for safety rather than allowing them to all swim near the surface. Some wonder why shark tourism is important & it allows us to introduce people to sharks which makes people care more about them. This is the opposite of what happened in the Jaws era where people were scared of the unknown. Shark tourism allows governments to see the financial benefit from tourism vs killing them for their fins & meat. Sadly, governments make many decisions based in economic factors & there are still many places around the world that allow killing of sharks. Did you know that hawaii had a shark cull in 1959-1976 killing 4,668 sharks to make the beaches “safer”?! With all the shark lovers in the state now, there’s no way that would be able to happen again! 💙🦈 #savesharks #tigershark #ocean #sharkdiving #sharkdiver #hawaii

Most of the time sharks want nothing to do with humans but if one decides to get a closer look at you make sure not to panic or splash, maintain eye contact with the shark, put something between you & the shark, redirect it with your hand if it keeps coming. Please only shark dive with trained professionals. 🦈💙🤙🏼 #tigershark #sharkdiving #sharkdiver #swimwithsharks #ocean

I love when the sharks begin to roll themselves when being redirected. In this case, I love the view of her white marshmallow belly! When a shark or pretty much any animal aims its belly toward you, it could be a sign of trust as its one of the most vulnerable parts of their bodies. Ive known this shark named Gador for almost 9 years & watched her grow over the years. Id like to think she recognizes me too but thats not something i can say for certain. 🤍🦈 #savesharks #sharkdiving #sharkdiver #tigershark #ocean #hawaii

Swimming with whales in 15ft of water felt like a dream. Seeing them in the shallow reef you can truly grasp their size versus seeing them in the deep blue open ocean. 🐋🪸🤍 #humpbackwhales #ocean #whaleswim #swimwithwhales #pacificocean #whales

There is something so breathtaking that leaves you in awe when you see a whale shark. Their beautiful spot pattern will totally leave you mesmerized like stars in the sky on these gentle giants. 🩵 Video by @Elizabeth Morri Sides #whaleshark #savesharks #sharkdiving #sharkdiver #swimwithwhalesharks

Tiger sharks are one of the most powerful predators in the ocean with an estimated bite force of over 850 lbs. That paired with their sharp, serrated teeth allow them to slice through tough materials like bones or turtle shells. Getting to see their capabilities up close is always impressive. These facts may cause fear but predators are built this way in nature for a reason. Being at the top of the food chain predators control the populations of their prey, regulate species health, & encourage biodiversity. Rather than trying to convince you that sharks are beautiful because they are sweet, I want you to see their beauty simply for what they are. 💙🦈 I am a trained professional shark diver do not attempt. #sharkdiving #savesharks #sharkdiver #tigershark #ocean

I’ve actually heard several shark divers say that they aren’t scared of sharks anymore. For me, this is worrisome. Though sharks are truly not out to get us or man eating monsters, they are still incredibly powerful, capable, apex predators. We should have a healthy degree of fear when it comes to wild predators on this planet. I dont think that the worlds top predators are something we should get overconfident about. I know I get checked real fast whenever I do so I try my best to remain humble. Sharks do have a softer side to them & this crazy behavior in my video is way more rare! Most of the time we are saying how cute & shy the sharks are & while that’s so true, it would be irresponsible of me to only show you that side. Dont get it twisted, this shark was biting at me so hopefully the techniques we show up close in our videos can help someone else survive a potential shark attack. 💙🦈 #tigershark #ocean #sharkdiving #sharkdiver #savesharks

How is anyone supposed to work when whales exist!? 🐋💙🐋 #humpbackwhales #whales #swimwithwhales #ocean #babywhale

Did you know youre more likely to be bitten by a new yorker than a shark? Who should we really fear? Video by @andriana_marine #savesharks #tigershark #sharkdiving #sharkdiver #swimwithsharks #ocean

This was such an amazing moment that I couldn’t believe was happening & I’ll never forget! I love those moments when you’re in the right place at the right time. It’s so exciting for me because I’ve never seen a whale open its mouth this close to me to get a good look at their baleen. The humpback whales don’t feed in their warmer areas of migration as they are there for mating & birthing their calves. So when they open their mouth it’s more rare & we aren’t sure of the reason. When I replayed the video I thought maybe this baby mistook the bubbles for milk. A friend of mine also mentioned he had seen the baby do this on other occasions just before it was about to go down & nurse with mom. For whatever the reason, it was one of those moments in the ocean I’ll be grateful for forever! Once momma takes baby to Antarctica, she’ll teach her how to feed on krill using her baleen to strain the water out of her mouth. This baby was such a wild one & I hope we cross paths again one day! 🐋 Thank you crazy baby! 🙏🏼💙 DM me your email address if you want me to contact you for next years humpback whale trip offerings! 👀 #humpbackwhale #swimwithwhales #whales #babywhale #pacificocean #ocean #baleen

Part 2 of a dive with 9 tiger sharks! The energy calmed down a bit from part 1 with the exception of one shark which rolled itself into tonic immobility a few times! Tonic is so interesting as some believe the sharks like this sensation. Scientists & divers use it at times to relax & calm the sharks making them easier to work with for tagging or tourism purposes. You can see how the energy is overall a little calmer than part one showing that those intense moments are a bit more rare & usually the sharks will lose interest pretty quickly as part 1 was under 2 min long. One shark was really sticking around & still checking @Danny Mako out! That individual shark may have been the most dominant within the group & so it continues to stay at the surface claiming its territory. We can never say definitively why an animal behaves the way it does, but watching shark behavior is so fascinating & each time im with them im learning more! #tigershark #sharkdiving #sharkdiver #savesharks #ocean #sharks